[303rd-Talk] Question about crews and "assigned" planes

[Bob Van Pelt]

    Bill:  I am not a vet but have studied the air war for many years and I will give you what I know, but please take the word of the vets on this forum over mine if they respond.
   
  New crews were inexperienced and when they arrived on stations from Combat Crew Replacement Centers, they usually flew the worst planes on base, the thinkig being a new plane was more valuable and should be assigned to more experienced crews.  New crews usually got the worst locations in the air, too.  You have probably heard of Purple Heart Corner.  Experienced crews were more valuable.  May seem harsh today, but at the time there was a war to be won.  Most people my age don't understand the concept of total war and the sacrifices that had to be made.
   
  A Group was usually made up of four Squadrons and on many missions, three of the four Squadrons were assigned to fly, the Squadron that stood down was rotated to give crews some relief, that is unless a Maximum Effort was planned, in which case everything that could fly went up from all Squadrons.
   
  Keep in mind planes had mechanical failures and flak and fighter damage.  Sometimes if the damage was beyond the repair capabilities of the Group, they were send to Base Air Depots (BAD) or Strategic Air Depots SAD) for major work.
   
  Sometimes a crew member had been wounded or was ill, and was assigned as a fill in or make-up crew member on a crew needing that position.
   
  The objective of all this was to put as many men into the air as possible given the resources available.
   
  If a crew had survived a number of missions, later in the war when more planes were available, many crews got their own airplanes.  Even when Squadrons were stood down, another crew from another Squadron might take the plane of the Squadron that was stood down.
   
  The only definitive thing I have learned from studying the Eighth for all these years is that young men were killed in the thousands.  Outside of thatr, there was/is an exception to almost any other fact or rule.
   
  Hope this helps!
  Bob


       
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